Traffic heading west on 33 Mile Road just east of the M-53 freeway. Ray Skowronek--The Macomb Daily

An economic boom for Bruce Township and less traffic congestion and travel headaches for motorists are just two of the benefits expected to come from the announcement that funds have been allocated to connect 33 Mile Road to M-53 in the township.

The joint announcement from state Sen. Jack Brandenburg, R-Harrison Township, and state Rep. Peter Lucido, R-Shelby Township, was three years in the making as funding was secured just this week. Medical facilities in development and under construction are awaiting the influx of traffic and the ease of access that will be a result from connecting the two roadways together. Truckers delivering goods to companies in the industrial corridor along 33 Mile Road, east of M-53, will also have easier access.

Currently, in order to access 33 Mile Road from M-53 heading north, motorists must exit on 32 Mile Road, drive about one mile east to Powell Road, turn north onto Powell Road and drive another mile, and then turn onto 33 Mile Road. Traffic backups are common, especially during rush hour, heading north and south on M-53 between 34 Mile Road and 30 Mile Road.

The cost of the project is $2.8 million, with the state of Michigan contributing $2 million and Bruce Township kicking in $800,000.

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While the state money was appropriated Wednesday by Gov. Rick Snyder in his new state budget, it won’t be available until after Oct. 1. No timetable has been announced for the start of construction or completion.

“This is going to create a lot of jobs and investment in the area,” Brandenburg said.

Darryl Racz, of Racz Construction Inc., is building a 65,000-square-foot assisted living and skilled nursing facility and a 26,000-square-foot memory care facility on the same campus near the northeast corner of 33 Mile and McKay roads, just east of the proposed northbound off ramp. Those buildings are scheduled to be completed in August. A building for independent living, along with ambulatory care that will house an emergency room, also are planned for the same area. The entire development is waiting for the easier access that will be provided by the ramp.

The 42nd District Court, Blue Water Trucking and Van Dyke Gas will also benefit from easier access to 33 Mile Road.

“It’s going to open a huge economic burst in north Macomb and Bruce,” Racz said. “And it’s going to help control traffic in the area. Right now, if you want to get to a hospital from northern Macomb, it’s a 35-minute trip.

“There is definitely a need for the ramp,” added Lucido. “When the 32 Mile Road ramp was taken out, it didn’t help anybody. It just created more traffic jams. If you miss the exit at 32 Mile Road, you’re not getting off for another couple of miles. In addition, if an aging population wants to live out there, the closest hospitals are Henry Ford at 19 Mile Road or Mount Clemens General (McLaren Macomb) in Mount Clemens.”

Lucido also said the expanded industrial parks and other new businesses will create a larger tax base and provide some tax relief for Bruce Township homeowners.

The road construction project will include a deceleration lane for northbound M-53 drivers that will take them to a roundabout at 33 Mile Road and McKay. Drivers can then choose to travel east, north or west.

According to Roy Rose, president and CEO of Anderson, Eckstein, and Westrick Inc., the engineering firm designing the connection plans for the roadways, southbound drivers on M-53 will have access to a turnaround less than one-half mile south of the connection. The turnarounds are commonly known as “Michigan U-turns.” Once heading north, they would use the new 33 Mile Road exit ramp. A second turnaround for northbound drivers will be constructed on M-53 less than one-half mile north of 33 Mile Road.